With his new album Redemption steady in rotation, TDE's resident original gangsta stopped by The Breakfast Club to chop it up with Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee, and DJ Envy.
Rock keeps it one hundred throughout, exuding a respectable sense of humility; despite being thirty-three, the man moves with an O.G's presence, calculated in his responses. Though Charlamagne tries to evoke a reaction by asking if the subsequent drops of Nas and The Carters served to steal his thunder, Rock provides an alternate take. "Shout out to them, man," he says. "Way I look at it, that just put me on top with the greats. I always been a fan of Nas, it's a beautiful thing though man, to be mentioned among those people."
Eventually, the conversation shifts to the TDE roster. While Rock was the first artist out the camp, he ultimately took a little bit longer to pop off. Yet patience is a virtue, and Redemption is a sign of the payoff. "I was the first one signed," says Rock. "We was young trying to get it...Once I made it, it felt like we all made it." When asked if he was ever bitter, Jay Rock once again proves why he's the anchor of the group. "Never man, cause these is all my brothers. We all came up together in the same camp. Why would I be bitter?"
"That's why I tell people don't feel sorry for me," continues Rock. "Rock a soldier, man. I come from the projects, champ, you know what I mean? I done been through it all, so that ain't nothing."
For more from Jay Rock, peep the interview below.